Cooking device



Oct. 9, 1956 Filed April 7. 1951 jig] M. L.. LIPSICH ET AL COOKINGDEVICE 6 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 9, 1956 Filed April 7, 1951 COOKING DEVICEM. L. LIPSICH ETAL 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 M. l.. LlPslcH ETAL 2,765,727

COOKING DEVICE e shets-sneet 3 /fff j/ -z--wf/ Oct. 9, 1956 Filed April7, 1951 Oct. 9, 1956 M. L. LlPslcH ETAL 2,755,727

COOKING DEVICE Filed April '7, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 @fr fiaEmmmfrmmmmmv M. L. LIPSICH ETAL Oct. 9, 1956 COOKING DEVICE 6Sheebs-Sheet 5 Filed April 7.. 1951 Oct. 9, 1956 M. L.. LlPslH ETAL2,765,727

CoKING DEVICE l Filed April 7, -1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United StatesCOOKING DEVICE Maurice L. Lipsich and Fred C. Schwaneke, Chicago, Ill.,assignors to Dormeyer Corporation, Chicago, lll., a corporation ofIllinois Application April 7, 1951, Serial No. 219,796

6 Claims. (Cl. 99--331) various foods with equal facility and withlittle if any inconvenience to the user in doing these variousoperations in succession.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination grill andbroiler in which the heat for either operation is supplied from the sameheater in the different and correct amounts of heat required for theseoperations.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionwhich will accommodate food requiring a different spacing between twocooperating cooking elements over a wide range and will permit thepositioning of the elements in any one of three different positionsangularly with respect to each other for access and use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waffle and grill unitwhich has an upper heating unit of variable output over a wide range oftemperatures for other and diierent culinary operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved waiiie grillsection for delivering extra amounts of heat upon occasion uniformlyover a predetermined area with or without the grid in place, yet isperfectly safe to handle without danger of shocking when heater is coldand exposed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a threeposition hinge inwhich one of the hinge members is shifted bodily while maintaining itslimits of movement in both directions with respect to the other hingemember.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hingearrangement which permits the wide separation of two waie grill heaterelements to a predetermined distance tov accommodate food products ofvarying thickness with or without the weight of the upper grill beingcarried by the food being prepared.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel grid fastening andrelease mechanism which can be finger released without touching the gridand without movement of the grid supporting housing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved switcharrangement of simple construction and operation for varying the heatand output of three heating elements and, in combination with atell-tale light connected in series with heaters not used, to indicatewhen the used heaters are on and when the device is up to temperatureready to cook.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved grill andhousing assembly which enables a locating of the grease drain of thegrill face at any one particular point of a plurality of pointsavailable.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hinge whichautomatically lifts the upper member' and is limited to move between twopredetermined positions when tilted unless moved in a secondarydirection,

nlatent yet will permit any degree of separation between the partssupported by it when in its closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel signal system bywhich it can be determined when the heater is on for any one of a numberof operations and when the device is ready for operation as well as whenthe food is cooked suciently.

The invention is also characterized by a hinge construction the axis ofpivoted movement of which is positively displaced upwardly as the hingeis opened so that grids of a waie baker move bodily away from each otheras well as pivotally with respect to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the classdescribed which is easy to operate, simple and inexpensive tomanufacture and maintain yet rugged enough to withstand abuse and lackof care.

These being among the objects of the invention other and further objectswill appear from the drawings, the description relating thereto and theappended claims.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a combination waiile, grill and broilercooking device embodying the invention with the upper and lower heatingunits located in their closed or waie baking position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. l with the topunit raised either for removing a baked wafle, or pouring in batter fora waie to be baked, or for receiving a sandwich to be grilled.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with thetop unit moved 180 from its closed position to a position in which it issupported in the same plane with the lower unit as when the upper andlower units are to be used independently as hot plates, griddles, orheaters.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l in which the upper and lower unitscooperate to grill a sandwich as when the upper unit is supported abovethe lower unit by the sandwich itself.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 in which the upper unit is supportedon a wire rack well above the lower unit for broiling purposes with theupper grid removed.

Fig. 6 is a view of the parts making up the hinge embodied in theinvention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the hinge embodied in theinvention when the top and lower units are in the position shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the hinge with the top andlower units disposed as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with the top and lower units disposedas shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with the top and lower unitsdisposed as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with the top and lower unitsdisposed as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the heating element in the top member.

Figs. 13, 13a, 13b and 13C are schematic views of the control circuitsand heaters for the device embodying the invention with the differentsettings of the switch elements shown for different operations.

Fig. 14 is a front elevational view partially broken away of the controlpanel on the front of the device.

Fig. 14a is a side elevation of the upper handle member showing themounting of the indicator light.

Fig. 14b is an elevational sectional view of part of Fig. 14.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of the lower unit with the plate mounted in grillposition and the novel wire rack in place when it is used for broiling.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 16-16 of Fig.15.

F1g. 19 is a section taken on the line 19--19 in Fig.

Fig. 20 is a section taken on the line Ztl--Z of Fig. 18.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the lower unit including the controlswitches as taken on a vertical plane through the middle of the lowerunit.

Fig. 22 is a plan view of the lower unit with the grid removed.

The invention is characterized by novel hinge, switch and heaterconstructions and arrangement whereby the upper grill member operates togrill, bake and broil with the same heating elements in the device whichoperates also as a waflie baker upon occasion.

In one instance, the upper and lower units cooperate as a waffle makeras determined by the hinge relationship when the switch is set at apredetermined position. In this relationship the upper grill is limitedin its pivoted movement to approximately 100 from horizontal to 10 pastvertical for access in applying the batter and removing the waille.Reversal of the grill plates permits the device to serve as a sandwichgrill. 1n both instances the cooking operation is thermostaticallycontrolled and the weight of the upper unit is in part carried by andshapes or flattens the food being prepared.

When one desires to use the device as a hot plate, the upper member israised to its upper limit and lifted a Ismall fraction of an inch toclear the hinge stops whereupon the upper member can be moved furtherand laid flat to occupy the same plane as that of the lower member.

In this position the upper element can also be used as a hot plateeither with the grid element present or removed. If removed7 otherspecial cooking elements like pressure cookers, deep fat fryers andtoasters can be set upon or attached to the upper element with theheater coil supporting insulators serving as a spider. Gn the otherhand, if the grid element is left in place other cooking utensils can beset upon it as though upon a stove top.

For broiling meats or toasting bread the grid on the upper member isremoved and a novel wire rack is placed upon the lower grid to carry themeat or bread slices. Upstanding loops on the wire rack engage the upperhousing when it is lowered and support it well above the food asaccommodated by the hinge. In this instance only the uppper heating unitis employed to accomplish the broiling or toasting operation and theheat output there is much higher than that dispensed 'for waffle makingor grilling.

Referring to the drawings `in further detail a cooking device is shownin Fig. 1 which has upper and lower die stamped housings or shells, 2@and 21, respectively7 hinged together by a hinge represented generallyat 22. At the front of the lower member 21 is secured an element 23which has a foot 24 and a panel 25 which includes a slot 26 and indicia27 thereon. In the slot is a sliding switch control member 28 movablehorizontally and having a pointer 30 and a handle 31 (Fig. 14).

At the rear of the housing 21 there are provided feet 32 which aresecured in place in any suitable manner and are provided with rearwardlyoffset extremities 33 which prevent tipping of the device when the topmember is raised as shown in Fig.l 2. On both lsides of the lowerhousing 4 are secured handles 34, having horizontal portions 35 made ofa material of low heat conductivity so that a users fingers will not beburned when lifting or moving the device.

At the front of the upper housing 2t? is secured an element 36, matchingelement 23 in style and design, with a central upstanding ear 37 servingthree purposes, namely, as a handle for raising and lowering theelement; as a leg when the top member is moved to the position Shown inFig. 3; and, as a housing for the telltale light so that it can be seenin any position to which the upper housing may be moved. The height ofthe handle above the top of the upper member is the same as the heightof the legs 24 below the lower member so that both of the two element-sare level and also level with each other.

The hinge 22 comprises two main units (Fig. 6), an upper unit 4t) and alower unit 41, two connecting links and pins as hereinafter described.Both units are preferably made of heavy sheet metal and stamped to havetwo symmetrically arranged end portions shaped as shown at 43 and 44,which end portions are connected by band portions 45 and 46,respectively. The units are secured to the respective top and bottomhousings 20 and 21 along their band portions by being riveted to theback sidewall of the respective shells. it is preferred that adjacentedges of the two bands be flush or coincide with the adjacent edges ofthe two shells. Two frontwardly opening hook-like ears 46 are struckfrom the upper band 45 to extend below the lower edge of the upper shell20 as more particularly seen in Fig. 5 where it serves to locate andsecure the waie plate as later described.

The lower end sections 44 have a long vertical slot 47 centrally thereinand two ears on its front edge 48. The upper ear E@ is bent to occupy aplane parallel to the band 46 whereas the lower ear 5l serves as theupper boundary of a notch 52 which receives and secures in place thegrid on the lower housing 21 as later described. The edges of the lowerend sections 44 are otherwise rounded to an oval form.

The upper end section 43 has two horizontally spaced holes 53 and S4 inthe lower portion thereof, and the lower front edge of the upper sectionis curved on a radius having the hole 53 as the center. At the rear edgethe curve straightens out to provide a stop at 55, directly below thehole Contiguous to, above and at approximately right angles to the stop55 is a slightly rounding cam surface 56 whose upper end forms anappreciable recess at 57 in conjunction with the remaining rear edgeportion 58, which edge portion thereabove follows the oval contour ofthe lower end section over this area as shown in Fig. 7.

The link 42 is offset intermediate its ends to provide appropriateclearances and is pivotally connected at its upper end to the uppermember by a pin 60. The pin is received in the opening 54 in the uppermembers and in the opening 61 at the upper end of the link. The lowerend of the link has a second opening 62 which receivesv the shank of apin 63 that in turn slides in the slot 47 with the head of the pinlocated on the opposite side of the slot from the link.

The upper and lower sections 43 and 44 are also slidably mounted withrespect to each other by pins 64, the shank ends of which are receivedin the holes 53 on the upper member with the other ends extendingthrough the slots 47 and terminating in heads disposed on the outsidefaces of the upper member. In the assembly shown in the tirst elevenfigures the lower members 44 of the hinge are located on the outside ofthe upper members 43 and the links are disposed between the members.Only the heads of the pins 63 and 64 are seen in the side elevation.Preferably the link in its resting position (Fig. 7) is disposed atapproximately a 45 angle from the center line of the slot 47. Thisprovides maximum movement between the hinge members for all purposes.

In operation the hinge parts are shown in their normally closed positionin Fig. 7. If the upper and lower housings 20 and 21 do not soonerengage and rest upon each other, it will be observed that the upperhinge member is limited in its downward movement by the pin 63 engagingthe bottom of the slot 47 in which position the upper hinge member isheld in a level position by the link 42 supporting one side and theshoulder 64 on the other side resting upon the stop 50.

From this position the hinges can be moved approximately 100 to theposition shown in Fig. 8. During, and at the end of this movement, thepins 63 are fully weight bearing at the bottom of the slots 47. The topof the link 42 is carried forwardly by the forward movement of the pin60 and the pin secured to the upper member slides and is toggledupwardly in the slot with the result that the upper hinge member islifted as well as pivoted. This movement is continued until the stop 55comes to rest against the ear 50 shortly after the center of the pin 6l)passes across the center line of the slot 47, thereby providing aself-sustaining position for the pur poses shown in Fig. 2.

In event the position of the two units are to be those sho-wn in Fig. 3,the handle 37 is grasped and lifted until the stops 55 clear the ears50. Thereafter the hinge is free to move the remainder of a 180 totalmovement to occupy the position shown in Fig. 9 in which position theweight of the upper unit is borne by a three point support, namely thehandle 37 at the front edge and the two pins 63 as spaced laterallyalong the back edge resting at the bottom of the slots 47 and theirassociated links 42. In this position both the upper and lower membersare disposed side by side at the same level to serve as hot plates.

When returning the hinge elements to their original position, it will benoted that the notch 57 is located at approximately the same level asthe top ear 50 in Fig. 9. As the upper hinge section 43 is lifted, thepin 64 moves upwardly, moving the notch 57 closer to the ear 50 whilethe link maintains them at the same level. When the pin 64 isapproximately at the same level as the top of the ear 50, furthermovement brings the cam 56 into engagement with the top of the earbecause the cam rise is greater than the distance of the pin 64 to therecess 57 and also greater than the distance from the slot 47 to the ear50. Thereafter the cam serves as a sliding lever to carry the weight andlift the upper member 2i) until the end of the cam slips olf and behindthe ear whereupon the position shown in Fig. 8 comes again intoexistence.

In those instances where grilling or broiling operation is desired thehinge has a sliding relationship as shown in Fig. l and 11. In eachinstance the whole hinge assembly merely slides vertically to therequired height. However, it will be noticed that the pin 64 is wellabove the ear S0, sufliciently so that the stop 55 could clear the ear50. If the stop did clear the ear the raised portion in Fig. 8 could notbe attained. To prevent this the link 42 moves the pin 63 downwardly asthe top member is raised. Thus as the top member approaches a verticalposition the pin has moved downwardly until it reaches the bottom of theslot and locates the upper pin 64 where thestop 55 will engage the ear50 as shown in Fig. 8 so that the initial 100 of movement is alwaysunder the control of and limited by the stop 55.

The upper and lower elements and 21 carry identical grids 66 preferablydie cast of aluminum. The grids are perfectly square so that they may bereceived in the open mouths of the shells in any one of four ways witheither face of the grids exposed. One face 67 of the grid is providedwith the usual wallie contour or bosses 68 bounded by a land 70 anddivided into four equal quadrants by cross lands 71. Around the marginof the grid a sealing land 72 is provided to prevent the batter fromflowing between the grids when the wallie side of the grid is inoperation. The sealing land 72 and the boundary land 70 are disposedparallel with each other and spaced a suliicient distance from eachother to provide a trough 73 which has suflicient volume to entrap anyextra batter which llows from' between the wallie portions of the grid.Furthermore, as seen in Fig. 19, the boundary land 70 and the sealingland 72 are a little higher than the wallie bosses 68. In bothA gridsthe lands and wallie members are perfectly symmetrical on opposite sidesof the cross lands 71 so that the two grids can be matched identicallyin four different positions. In this way the positioning of the grids inthe shell elements is immaterial insofar'as the making of wallles areconcerned. They will always match. The lands and the wallie elementscoincide throughout their facing areas.

The opposite face 74 of the grid is at, being bounded marginally by land75 interrupted at one corner to provide a trough-like drain 76 which hasa drain lip 77 from which grease or oils will drip into a receptaclesuch as a saucer or cup (not shown) disposed at one corner of the devicewhen it is used as a grill or broiler. The drain trough 76 when mountedin place can be disposed at any corner of the shell Where desired. Thisuniversality of the grid and positioning of the drain trough followsfrom the fact that a horizontal llange 78 is provided marginally aroundeach grid to engage and rest interchangeably upon the marginal edges ofthe shells 20 and 21. This flange 78 is disposed closer to the wallieface 67 than it is to the grill face 74. In fact, the ange 78 is solocated that it is equidistant from the planes defined by the tops ofthe wale bosses 68 and the at face 74 of the grid.

With this arrangement the tops of the waflie element 68 and the grillface 74 are disposed at the sarne depth in the shells whenever they areturned inwardly for identical engagement with the thermostatic controlas described herein a little later.

On the other hand, the grill flange 77 extends much higher above thellange 78 than docs the bordering flange 72 of the wallie side whenthose particular faces of the grid are exposed. This differential inheight is accommodated by the vertical slide relationship described toexist in the hinge arrangement. Moreover, when the grill side of thegrid is exposed, it is seldom that the two grids are brought fullytogether because they generally are spaced from each other when grillinga sandwich and are widely spaced from each other when the upper member20 is used for broiling. Thus, the location of the flange 78 is suchthat the drain trough 76 can be located in any corner of the member 21when the grill side of the grid is exposed, because there is alwaysclearance between the downward side of the flange indicated at 80 inFig. 2O that the trough clears the top of the shell.

For purposes of releasably securing the grills in place so that theupper one will not fall out when the upper member is raised and thelower one can be loosened and raised without touching any hot portionsof the grill or housing, levers 81 are pivoted to the elements 23 and 36by pins 82. Each of these levers includes a handle portion having aprotruding heat insulating knob 83 thereon located near a shelf likesurface 89. A vertically disposed latch arm 85 is stamped integral witheach lever to be moved thereby. The operation of the lever 81 mounted onthe element 23 will now be described, it being understood that the lever81 mounted on the element 36 operates similarly. When the handle on thelever is raised the latch is moved from its latching position. A torsionspring 84 engaging the lever at one end and the shell at the other endurges the latch to its latching position. In addition to the latch arm,a rearwardly upset ear or pin 88 is provided upon the lever to engagethe liange '78 on the grill and lift it just as the latch clears theflange, as shown clearly in Fig. l4b.

The latch has a hook-like element 90 on its upper end and the ange 78 onthe grill is notched as at 91 to receive the hook-like element above theflange. The notches 91 are so located symmetrically with respect to thegrids that the hook is received through them regardless of which face ofthe grill is uppermost and regardless of which side of the grill is atthe front. Thus when a grill is mounted on either shell 2t) or 21 therear edge is slipped into the notch 52 or hook 46 (Fig. 5) as the casemay be, to be secured in place thereby at the rear edge of the grill.The front edge of the grill is then pushed into place with greener thehook portion of the latch extending through the notch 91. Thereafterunder the influence of the spring 84 the lever 81 is moved downwardly tomove the hook into overlapping engagement with the top of the flange.Then when it is desired to remove the grid, the users thumb is placed onthe shelf 89 and the index linger under the knob 83, the finger andthumb squeezed and the handle 81 is lifted to release the latch in therst portion of its movement after whichv the ear 8S on the lever engagest-he bottom face of the flange and positively displaces the front of thegrill upwardly so that it is freed for removal, without disturbing theposition of the housing. The same applies to the releasing of the gridin the upper housing when raised to its uppermost limit.

Considering now the heating elements, it will be observed from Figs. 2land 22 of the drawings that in each of the shells and 21 heatingelements are supported on secondary elements or plates 92 as secured inplace by twisted ears 93 received through slots 94 with the plateresting on shoulders 95. In the lower shell 21 the heating element 96comprises a coiled wire stretched slightly and wound back and forth in aZig Zag or serpentine manner to cover -a large area as held andsupported by conventional ceramic insulating elements 97. This providesawide area of applied heat. On the bottom of the shell a Bakelitehousing 98 serves as a junction box for the lead-in cord 100 and theelectrical connection with the heaters and leads.

Preferably the wires are secured to terminals 101 insulated from theshell and one of the terminals is connected by a lead 102 to one side ofa combination theremostat and cutoff switch 103 which is responsive tothe heat of the lower grill through a metal slug member 104 disposed inheat exchange contact with a bi-metal element 105 that moves one poleofthe switch with respect to the other. The construction and operationof the switch and associated constructions is more particularlydescribed hereinafter.

As already mentioned heretofore, the flange 78 upon the grid locates thegrill face 74 and the extremities of the waffle studs 68 at apredetermined depth in the housing, depending upon whichever is turnedinwardly. The upper face of the metal slug member 104 has an upper limitof location well above this depth. A slot 106 is provided in themounting bracket for the switch which permits the slug member 104 toyield downwardly when the grid is mounted in place yet maintain intimateheat exchange contact between this slug and the rgrid under the tensionof a spring 107 which not only urges the slug member 104 to its upperlimit, but it also loosens the grid from its resting position when thelatch is released. Thus, whenever the apparatus is operated under thecontrol of the thermostat, the 'heat developed in the grill by theheater element is effective upon the bi-metal 105 by heat exchangecontact through the slug member 104 to open the switch when the heatreaches a predetermined temperature and to release the switch and permitit to close when the heat of the grid falls below another predeterminedtemperature. Movement of the lever 31 varies or adjusts the bi-metal andswitch for selected temperature through a cam 99 and lfollower 109 thatchanges the position of the switch with respect to the bi-rnetal.

The upper secondary plate 108 has on it two heaters. One ofV the heatersis an outside coil 110 which is identical in its electricalcharacteristics with the heater coil 96 in the lower housing 21. Eachpreferably has approximately 41/2 ohms resistance and when connected inseries with each other they develop approximately 1200 watts. The otherheater 111 is equivalent to two heaters connected in series like thecoils 96 and 110. Sometimes in this description it is referred to as twoheaters to further a better understanding of the circuits. One end ofthe heater 111 is connected to a terminal 112 in common with one end ofthe heater 110, the other end of the heater 110 being connected to theterminal block 113 and the other end of the heater 111 being Vconnectedto the CII terminal 114 which in turn is connected to the other side ofa line at 115 through an on and off switch 119. The electricalconnections between the terminal block in the lower shell and theterminal block in the upper shell are carried from one to the other atthe rear through a flexible wire coil protector 129 located between thehinge elements.

The coils 110 and 111 are supported upon ceramic insulators 116, similarin their mounting to those 97 used in the lower housing with the coil110 Wound near the outside boundary of the plate 1.00 to a point nearthe top where it is directed inwardly to form an inside loop so thatsubstantially even distribution of heat from the coil is `attained forthe grill. On opposite sides of the coil 110 and spaced from it theheater 111 is disposed in two loops approximately equidistant from theheater 110 throughout their adjacent portions. A pilot light arrangement117 comprising a neon light and a 100,000 ohm resistance connected inseries is connected between the post 114 and the other side of thethermostatically controlled switch 103 at 118. This latter connection isin common with one end of the heater 96, the other end of which isconnected to the post 113. The tell-tale light 117 is visible at anopening through a ruby window 120 on the upper front panel 36 of thedevice.

Before describing the detailed construction of the control switch 103,it might be well to consider the arrangement of parts represented in theschematic drawing of the switch and the circuit as shown in Fig. 13.r1`wo parallel contacts 121 and 122 are shown with the contact 122connected to the post 114 and the contact 121 connected to the post 112.In line with, but spaced from the contact 121 is a third contact 123connected to one side of the line and one side of the switch 103 througha wire 124. Opposite the elongated contact 123 and spaced therefrom aretwo independent contacts 125 and 126. The contact 12S is permanentlyconnected to the contact 121 by a lead 127 and the contact 126 isconnected to the terminal post 113 by a lead 123. A sliding bridge 130moves along the contacts and as shown in Fig. 13 is in its olf positionin which no contacts are engaged or bridged The switch 119 is -held openwhen the bridge is in o position as controlled by a cam (not shown).

Referring to Fig. 13a, the bridge 130 has been moved to the right, i. e.to the waffle baking position in which contacts 121 and 122 are bridged.This closes the switch 119 and places the lower heater 96 and the upperheater 110 in series with each other and with the thermostatic switch103. In this position of the bridge the path of electrical current isshown by heavy lines, one side of the line 102 being connected to oneside of the now normally closed switch 103 and the other side of theswitch being connected to the heaters 96 and 110 with the other end -ofthe heater 110 connected to the contact 121 by a lead 132, the bridgecloses the circuit to the other side of the line through the contact 122and the lead 119a and switch 119. With this circuit the heat in thebottom shell and the heat in the upper shell will be identical since thetwo heaters are identical and this heat will be controlled by the actionof the bi-metal upon this switch 103. In this connection it will benoted that the bars 121 and 122 are elongated so that the bridge 130will engage both throughout a wide range of movement handle to whichmovement the bridge is linked to controls the setting at which theswitch elements will be opened by the bi-metal.

With this circuit the tell-tale light 117 is placed in series with theswitch 103 and the other side of the line through the heater 111. Thuswhen the heaters are turned to waffle baking position the light goes oninstantly and goes out when the switch 103 is opened, thereby indicatingthat the waiiie grids are right for baking operations. This light willstay off until the switch is closed again as when the waffle grids areloaded with cold batter. Thereafter the light will stay on until thebaking. operation is completed, whereupon the user `is signalled by thelight again going out that the wale is ready for removal.

Referring to Fig. 13b, the bar 130 has been moved to the high broilposition. When the device is used as a broiler the upper grid is removedso that the heaters radiate their rays against the food directly withoutinterruption of current or intervention of any other element. In thisposition of the bar 131) the thermostatic switch is not in operation. Itremains open. The heater 111 having one end connected at 114 to one sideof the line through switch 119 works in series with heater 112 whoseother end is connected to the other side of the line through the leads132 and 127, the bar 130, the lead 124. With this circuit the tell-talelight 117 is connected in parallel with the heater 111 from the post 114to the post 112 through the heaters 96 and 110. Thus in the high broilposition, the tell-tale light is on as long as the heater 111 is on, andthereby informs the user that the device is using current.

Referring to Fig. 13C, the bar 130 is located in the low broil positionWhere it bridges the contacts 123 and 126. This bridging places thethree heaters 110, 111 and 112 in series to draw approximately 800 wattsthereby giving a low broiling temperature. The circuit runs from oneside of the line through the lead 124 to the bridge 130, and through thelead 128 to the binding post 113. This binding post 112, now being dead,the current ilows through the heater 111 to the other side of the linethrough the lead 133 and switch 119. Here again the pilot light 117 isin parallel with the energized heaters as connected between the bindingpost 114 and the binding post 113 through the idle lower heater 96, sothat the tell-tale light is on continuously while the heaters areenergized.

In all three of these instances it will be noted that the tell-talelight is in series with one or more of the heaters which are notenergized. The load of the telltale light being so inilnitesimal, thereis no appreciable energization of the heater with which it is in series.However, the tell-tale light serves in all instances to perform theproper function of appraising the user when any of the heaters are on,and when the grill is up to wale baking temperatures, after having beenon to indicate that the heaters were supplying heat to the watllegrills.

In the embodiment shown four leads pass through their protective conduit129 between the two housings, namely the pilot light lead 139, the lead132, the lead 133 and the lead terminating on the post 113 whichinterconnects the heaters 96 and 110.

When the device is used as a broiler the upper grid is removed asalready mentioned. The lower grid is turned to have the grill sidedisposed upwardly and thereon is mounted a rack 134, more particularlyVshown in Figs. l5, 16 and 17. The rack comprises an outer or boundarywire 135 disposed inside and following close to the flange 75. Welded attheir ends on this supporting wire are cross wires 136, one of which,136a, is longer than the others and is upturned at its ends to formhook-shaped member 137 which loops over and down behind the flange 75 tohold the rack in place.

There are four wire members 138 which at one end have a similarhook-like shape 137 secured to the member 135 while at the other end thewire is bent upwardly as at 140 and outwardly as at 141 to extend overthe top of the flange 75 and rest thereon. From hence the wire beyondthe portion 141 is then bent upwardly as at 142 with a reverse loop 143in the top thereof and terminates in a downwardly extending portion 144which is welded to the wire 135 with an end 145 thereof engaging insidethe flange 75.

The arrangement of the wires 138 is such that the two rearmost members138, indicated at a and b in Fig. l5, have the loop portions 143disposed at opposite sides from each other at a point appreciablyforward of the rear edge 146 of the grid or housing. Thus the two loops143 serve as a pivot-like support point to receive in cradledrelationship the low rear marginal edges of the upper housing when theupper housing is lowered to its broiling position. Thus the rear of thehousing is supported at the upper limit permitted to it by the hingemembers. The other two members 138 identified by the letters c and d aredisposed with their loop members at the front side of the housing wherethey catch and support the front lower marginal edge of the housing whenit is lowered into broiling position. Thus the upright portions 142 ofthe rack support the upper shell member at the exact and proper pointfor boiling operations. The remaining portions of the rack are held inplace by ilange engaging members to support meat or the like on thecross wires above contact with the lower grill por tion so that anyliquids broiling from the food can drain freely away through the draintrough on the grid. The rack can be manipulated and carried by the loops143.

As will be seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 it will be apparent that thetell-tale light is visible to the user regardless of the position theupper unit is disposed in for cooking operations, not only to apprisethe user of the readiness of the device for baking operations but alsowhether or not the device might be hot if otherwise a person would tryto investigate by touching it.

Consequently, to those skilled in the art it is apparent from thedescription and drawings how the objects and results are accomplishedand how various and further constructions and arrangements can be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of whichis commensurate with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a wale iron having a substantially square housing and an electricheater therein and with the side wall of the housing terminating incoplanar marginal edges spaced vertically from said heater, thecombination of a grid having a waflle iron on one side and a grill onthe other, a tlange around the grid received in resting position uponthe marginal edges of the housing, said flange being notched in themiddle of each of the four sides, means for securing the grid to thehousing in any one of four positions with respect to each side includinga lever pivoted to the housing near the middle of one side wall, saidlever having a latch like head extending through the notch coincidenttherewith to engage the top of the flange at the edge of the notch and ahandle near and movable with respect to a stationary finger rest elementon the housing, and an element upon the lever engaging the bottom of theflange upon movement of the lever relative to the stationary element todislodge the grid after the latch is moved from latching position.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 including means resilientlyengaging said grid to urge it upwardly from its resting position whenthe latch is moved from latching position.

3. In a wallie iron having a housing and an electric heater therein andwith the side walls of the housing terminating in coplanar marginaledges, the combination of a grid having a watlle iron on one side and agrill on the other, a flange around the grid received in restingposition upon the marginal edges of the housing, said flange beingnotched along one side, means engaging said grid to urge it upwardlyfrom its resting position, means for securing the grid to the housingincluding a lever pivoted to the housing, said lever having a latch likehead extending through the notch and to engage the top of the tlange atthe edge of the notch, manual means for moving said lever in onedirection to remove the latch from lat-ching position and an elementupon the lever engaging the bottom of the flange upon movement of thelever in the opposite direction after the latch is moved from latchingposition.

4. In a cooking device a lower housing having side walls, a reversiblegrid having waffle lugs on one side and a tlat grill surface on theother side surrounded by awall, said grid being adapted on both sides toengage partly within the housing and having a horizontally disposed angehaving faces on opposite sides capable of resting upon the upper edgesof the side Walls to support the grid in reversed operative positions,said flange faces being respectively equidistant from the plane of thelat surface and the plane of the tops of the lugs, a heater in saidhousing, an assembly mounted in said housing for controlling said heaterand including a spring and an element urged by the spring into contactwith the grid at the same level irrespective of which side of the g.'dis down and to lift the grid flange from engagement with the side Wallswhen the grid is free to so move, means for holding the rear side of thegrid in engagement with the top of the back Wall, and latch meanspivoted to the front side wall including an element engaging the topofsaid liange in latch relationship and a manually operated leverengaging said grid at one edge thereof to tree the grid, said leverreleasing said element from engagement and cooperating with said springto lift the grid and hold it up for reversal.

5. In a wallie baker a lower housing `having side Walls, a reversiblegrid having a flange adapted to engage and rest upon the upper edges ofthe side walls in operative position in any one of a plurality ofpositions with respect to the housing, a thermostat mounted in saidhousing and adapted to engage said grid at a predetermined level in heatexchange Contact therewith, a heater in said housing controlled by saidthermostat, and means for securing the grid to the housing including alever pivoted to the housing, said lever having a latch-like headengaging the top of said an-ge and a handle near and movable withrespect to the housing, and an element upon the lever engaging thebottom of t-he flange upon movement of the Ilever to dislodge the gridafter the latch is moved from latching position.

6. In a waffle iron having a housing and an electric Eheater thereinwith side walls on the housing terminating in coplanar marginal edgesabove the level of said heater, the combination of a grid having awaflle iron on one side and a grill on the other, a ange around the gridreceived in resting position upon lthe marginal edges of the housing,said flange being notched along one side, means for securing the grid tothe housing including a lever pivoted on the housing for movementbetween two positions, said lever having a latch-like head extending inresting position through the notch to overlie the top of the ilange atthe edge of the notch in latching relationship when said lever is in oneof said positions, manual means for moving said lever to the other ofits two positions to displace the latch head from its latching position,and an element upon the lever engaging the bottom of the flange uponmovement ot" the lever to displace the grid.

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